The American family is undergoing rapid change that is seen statistically in the increase of both single-parent families and families with two working parents. The proposed research is a six-month project designed to increase understanding of the ways in which households maintain their solidarity and effectiveness as social environments. The approach is to focus on household rituals, ranging from the daily dinner-time to such annual holidays as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Such occasions are important because they entail the participation of all household members in shared and usually meaningful activities. The research will be based on a series of interviews with the parents of resident children in Fairfax County, Virginia. Respondents will be selected to insure variation along several dimensions, including both the one- and two-parent situations. The interviews will have four sections: (1) basic demographic information and family history, (2) daily and weekly rituals, (3) annual holidays, and (4) an independent protocol to measure the general effectiveness of the family as a social environment. Analysis will be both qualitative and quantitative. Within the quantitative portion, preference will be given to multivariate analysis.